Enduring Legacy: Shadow of the Sun
by Conflict
Summary: "A fragment of Naruto finds its way to where the modern world and Greek myths intertwine. A dark future looms over the fate of Olympus. But a simple soul can light up the world." Creative writing practice. Expect a lot of deviation from cannon timelines. FemNaru. (Goals: Update every Sat/Sun with a minimum of 750 words each)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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><p>-|Butterfly|-<p>

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><p>At the bottom of a hill in a calm moonless night, the leaves danced against the mild summer breeze. White smoke appears with a small *pop* but the night's calm quickly returns. Soon, the smoke parts and reveals the form of a young woman curled in on herself as peaceful as the scene she entered.<p>

Slowly, long lashes fluttered open revealing wide blue eyes. She raises her left hand and sweeps knee-length, spiky, blonde hair off her oval, almost heart-shaped, face. It takes a bit more for the bleariness of sleep to clear. When it does, she springs up to a seat and examines her hand. A soft angled brow raises in thought. Eventually, pink lips curve to a small smile.

She was alive! She gives her left leg a hard punch and then looks at herself. Her smile widens to a grin even as she winces from the pain. She didn't dispel! She was alive! One last check. She brings her thumb to her lips and cuts into it with her canine. Nervously she brings the thumb to her line of sight and… blood. She had blood! Fuck yeah she was awesome!

It took forever but she was alive. She earned her existence into this world. Yeah, it wasn't her/his world but wasn't that why they made the gamble in the first place? For her to be unbound? She stood up and her face settled to a soft, serene smile. And for a short moment she stands there, arms out stretched beside her, basking in the feeling of being alive.

But eventually, her face hardens to a more serious expression. She can't feel her chakra. She is unarmed, nude, broke, *_grumble_*and hungry. She needed to remedy those if she wanted to _continue_ the whole being alive thing.

She looks for high ground and spots a hill. She takes off in sprint but slows to a walk, half a mind to head back down to explore elsewhere. But Uzumaki were stubborn people and she was no exception. She continues forward and eventually meets a light resistance just as she sees the strawberry farm below. A barrier!

She tilts her head and perks her ear in curiosity like a fox. The sound of the wind was slightly off. It lacked the turbulence on the other side. She also takes a few sniffs with her subtly upturned nose. Strawberries overpower most everything else but it is also oddly generic. Genjutsu? Maybe the barrier and the illusion are related? Perhaps she could adjust her form to something keyed in to the barrier?

She shrugs. When in doubt, punch it! She thrusts her right hand through the barrier. It isn't a very strong one or perhaps just not tuned to repel something like her. She'd have to sacrifice some mass for the effort but her physical shell should still be malleable enough to make some changes.

She closes her eyes and focuses inward. It took a while but eventually she can feel her body shrink down in age. Thankfully the barrier soon stops reacting before long. She didn't want to age down too much. She had no idea if these people were hostile or not. Defending one's self as a teen was harder than as an adult but it was significantly harder as a child.

She pulls her arm away and drops it to her side. She can also feel some chakra in her system again. It was very minute, not even enough for the simplest technique. She frowns. Is chakra the requirement to pass the barrier? She moves forward. Perhaps someone inside can help fill her in.

Before she could go any further however, a cacophony echoes in the forest. In a distance. Four figures burst out the tree line, three teens and a child. Monsters nipping at their heels. Immediately, she bursts to a sprint down the hill. She wasn't about sit idly by and let a bunch of kids get torn apart.

She spots a bat-winged monster swoops down towards one of the kids. "Dynamic Entry!" her flying kick intercepts the attack. Before it can even crash to the earth, she leaps off and axe kicks down a large black dog before it leaps at the teen.

One of the four, a blonde teen moves beside her, holding a golf club in front of him like a sword. Another winged-beast flies at them, this time intercepted by the boy striking the creature's head. The earth trembles as more large dogs emerge from the forest.

She puts a hand on his should her motion for him to pull back. She suspects that the barrier is meant for things like these creatures. So the goal was not to win but to survive a retreat. "Come on." He looks at her strangely and speaks with words she does not understand. Great. She tugs on his shoulder once again, and slowly he moves back before they break out in a mad dash.

They are almost passed the middle of the hill when the whooshing against the wind alerts her. She pushes the boy a side as a dog lunges to chomp at him. Its bite catches her right arm. Immediately, before it can even think of dealing more damage, she slams her right knee to its throat forcing it to let her go. She then spin kicks it away with her left. Briefly, she take stock of the injury. She bites down a curse.

Having greatly reduced chakra reserves was rather detrimental to her style. It cut her off from her signature attacks, Kage Bunshin and Rasengan. Her female, under aged, undertrained body was also an issue. She was more of a high endurance, heavy hitter. She simply didn't have the same muscle mass she was used to and she didn't have enough chakra to compensate.

Immediately, she rolls forward as another bat-winged creature dives down after her. She has barely righted herself when she as it rears for another attack. She notice it struggle against the barrier, like a strong wind pushing it back but it was making some ground, inching further in. So the barrier won't be enough.

Two of her new companions held their ground beside her, shouting at their two other friends to run to safety or maybe call for help. Maybe they were saying both. They were telling her something too. By the way they eyed her injury, they probably thought she should retreat too.

Her eyes hardened with determination. She didn't know who these kids were but she had already decided to help them and she wasn't about abandon them whether they wanted her too or not.

She sees the flying creature prepare its second attempt to crash through the barrier and the two beside her moved forward to intercept. They had the right idea. In the midst of the barrier would be the most advantageous position to hold ground. But from the sounds of it, more would be coming. And they didn't look like they, including herself, would be able to hold ground much longer.

She glances back behind her. Then focuses on her good arm. She gathers as much chakra she could to her hand but there isn't even enough there for the chakra to be visible. As her breath became heavier and heavier she hopes that this would be enough to both kill the monster and create a loud enough bang to call for reinforcements.

She sees the thing pass the barrier and dive straight for the girl. With the last of her strength the leaps over the girl and slams the invisible chakra ball down. The last thing she hears is an ear shattering boom and her vision is blinded white before unconsciousness takes her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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><p>-|Alias|-<p>

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><p>Chiron, a middle-aged white centaur with thinning brown hair, stared out from the deck, deep in thought. He stood conflicted as he ponders the events that transpired and the implications they bring. A half-blood of the eldest gods. Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zues, had entered the camp along with her companions. All three demigods had already been claimed. Shall reach sixteen against all odds. Less than four years from now. Olympus to preserve or raze.<p>

And then there was the mystery guest asleep in the infirmary. She's not a demigod although she could definitely pass off as one if the three demigods and one satyr were to be believed. Perhaps a legacy? Being a second or further generation descendant of a god tends to give legacies similar abilities to their godly ancestors, though their powers are usually diminished through each generation. Though Camp Half-Blood didn't really accept legacies, he couldn't really reject her either.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud exclamation inside the Big House, the aforementioned blonde the only possible culprit. His deduction is confirmed as he enters the infirmary. The girl was indeed awake. He quirks a brow at the scene. The girl circles Argus with wide eyed innocence. He takes an intentionally audible step forward before her curiosity could compel her to poke the hundred-eyed security guard.

Her attention snaps towards him and her eyes roam him with the same child-like wonder. But those bright blue eyes stops at his bow, then moves to the quiver assessingly but quickly enough to have been missed by most other men. A threat assessment? Indeed, even now her eyes dart every few seconds. If he were to give a guess, he'd say that she is also assessing the room.

Then her eyes stop and looks at him, directly in the eyes. Her gaze is so deep, he briefly wonders if she is looking at his soul. And in the very briefest of instances, his heart flutters as if afraid to fail a test of worth. He finds himself reflexively standing straighter, as if to accept this challenge. Just as quickly as it was cast, the spell lifts and her face breaks into a wide smile and loudly exclaims a greeting.

Or what was most likely a greeting. She seemed to speak in an Asian language, likely Japanese. "Forgive me. I'm afraid I do not understand." She seems intuitive enough to get a gist of his meaning if the affirmative tone of her response is anything to go by. He gestures to himself, "My name is Chiron," then gestures to his left, "and that is Argus." She mouths the words 'Chiron' and 'Argus' almost silently. Intuitive indeed.

With that thought, he gestures to her. "And what may your name be, miss?" She opens her mouth as if to speak but stops midway. Her face scrunches up in thought, her hand to her chin. "Shee. No. Boo." The words come with some uncertainty before she quickly nods to herself. "Shinobu. Himura Shinobu." His eyes narrow at the alias. For what reason would she need one?

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><p>-|Initiation|-<p>

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><p>When Chiron brought a young blond girl dressed in the orange camp shit and blue denim pants to the Apollo cabin then to the Hermes cabin, the girl practically skipping and humming along energetically, the two children of Ares' thought of only one thing. "New blood." Their chorus attracted a third boy and the two were quick to direct their brother's gaze toward their new target. They hadn't had the chance to conduct their initiation ceremony to the last three demigods that entered camp but they can always save them for later.<p>

Chiron had eventually left her with a son of Apollo near the hearth. It looked like they were going over some… foreign poetry? In any case, with Chiron gone, now was their opportunity to strike. They moved to grab the girl, confident that her companion would not put up a fight for her sake. Before they could get close however, she stands up and turns to face them.

She then waves at them and smiles, giving them a loud greeting that is unintelligible to their ears. As expected, the boy beside her backs away slowly. She seems to notice his distress but returns to address them cheerfully. "Whatever. Go !" And with that signal, the three charge at her. As they were about to tackle her, she leaps over them and lands palms first on the back of the one in the middle. Her flip continues and ends with a twist as she lands behind them already facing them.

They'd nearly fallen face first into the hearth and the smirk on her face was really pissing them off. The largest of the three motioned for his brothers to stay back. His face still contorted to a frown but a hint of a smirk edged at his lips. He looked at the girl bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet, fists out in front of her.

This might actually be more fun than they expected. They didn't think the new girl would put up a fight. And they were always up for a good fight. The large muscular teen steps forward and his two companions roll their eyes and give him the finger but they stand aside, letting him have this one on one but both still at the ready to jump in if needed. The muscle cracks his knuckles and rolls his shoulders before holding out his hands in front of him as well.

The girl responds with a shout and a charge. Her right fist flies forward but he grabs it with his left. His hand completely engulfs her own and tightens around hers. She retaliates with a high kick but he blocks it with his right arm before using the same arm to catch the offending leg in a hold between his arm and his rib. With hand and foot caught, he quickly twists to the right and throws her in the air.

Instead of crashing on her ass, she continues her momentum into a back flip, her hands briefly touching the grass before landing once again on her feet.

The girl frowns then sighs dejectedly. Her stance shifts. Her body faces partly to the right. Her left arm forward as was her left leg. Her right hand at stomach level. He legs far apart and her knees angled. Her hands in open palms instead of fists. She speaks and motions with her left. And though they don't understand her words, they understand her gesture. Come and get it.

He accepts her invitation and charges. He swings his right fist forward but her left pushes it by the elbow, forcing him aside with his own momentum. Before he can recover, her right strikes his arm pit like a dagger followed by a hammer fist with her left to back of his head. And like that, the large teen is out of the fight.

She turns to the remaining two, only half noticing the newly formed small crowd around them. She points to them and loudly declares her challenge, a smirk on her face. Bring it! – or they think that's what she's saying - The two respond with smirks of their own and they both charge.

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><p>-|Headaches|-<p>

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><p>When the young child returned to the Big House rather early with one black eye and a limp on her left leg, Chiron knew something had happened. When the same child gave a nervous laugh, her unbroken hand scratching the back of her head, he knew that something would be a headache to deal with. When the noise of other children approaching caused her to hide behind him, he knew that she was at the center of it all.<p>

Indeed, seven from the Ares cabin were out cold. Though rumour was two were self-inflicted. Apparently, two had the bright idea that if they couldn't bring in the girl for her swirly, they could bring the swirly to her. They then proceeded to tear out one of the toilets. Naturally, the plumbing sprayed out, they slipped, and somehow knocked each other out with knees to their faces. The remaining five cabin 5 members were most definitely her handiwork.

Twelve occupied the infirmary that night. All seven from cabin 5 with fractures, one with a nose bit off – Shinobu thankfully regurgitated that one – and two with concussions; one cabin 11 member with who knows what; three from the Hephaestus cabin that were injured from patrol; and a young hyperactive blonde girl were all in the Big House. And sure enough, the children of Ares – those that were still conscious – kept trying to have a rematch despite their injuries. Though the girl was not entirely blameless, seeming to willingly accept the issued challenge with some gusto.

With the increased attacks on the camp and the Great Prophecy looming overhead, the headache of dealing with such was simply one too many to add to his plate. In the end, Chiron gave a small prayer to Hermes for the child, in one part thanks for his acceptance policy, taking in those not accepted by the other cabins, and in part apology. The Hermes cabin had always been crowded.

He did feel slightly guilty for the girl as well. She should be resting and recovering but it was still less rowdy than here. And he was pretty sure none from cabin 11 would attempt to start a fist fight with the injured girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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><p>-|Luke|-<p>

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><p>Things settled down in less than a week, though rumours lingered for much longer. The most prominent versions were of two opposites.<p>

One version permeated because of how entertaining it was. It had something to do with a cabin 5 member being smitten by one of Aphrodite's beauties, a dozen drowning in toilet water, a cannibal in the camp, and other strange or fantastical details. Completely and utterly absurd in every regard.

The other version stayed simply for its believability. Two of cabin 5 had attempted to start their initiation ceremony to the youngest of the three newest demigods. The daughter of Zeus zapped one and a son of Hermes knocked the other out. Though this rumour took later to conjure up as it'd take a few days for Thalia to build up her reputation and Luke's skill with a sword took a while to be noticed.

Confronting a few cabin 5 members wasn't a bad idea actually. He'd have to run it by Thalia but he was sure she'd be up to scaring off some children of Ares, if she wasn't too busy on patrol. Thalia was even more overprotective of Annabeth than he was and he was plenty overprotective.

He sets aside his plans for later and focuses on the sword he had just gotten from the armoury behind him. He might as well try it out. He needed a better weapon if he wanted to win a spar with Thalia after all. He was winning a lot more lately, but that's just because she's been less trigger happy with the shocks as of late.

He frowned. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing that she was being more responsible with power – she was really liberal with its use before as his arm could attest – or a bad thing that she was holding her own potential back.

Cheering from the arena breaks him from his musings. Inside he sees four cabin 5 members, two pairs of boys and girls, by the sidelines animatedly goad the two combatants at the centre. The larger combatant was all decked out; full armour complete with red plumed helmet, a large shield on his left, a long spear on the right, and a sword sheathed to his hip. The other was a small blonde teen.

And she is completely unarmed!

She held a pose, legs far apart, left foot forward, torso bent forward. Both her palms were open and faced the sky. Her left arm stretched forward in front of her pointing down and her right arm stretched behind her pointing up. What the -

With an unspoken signal, the boy attacks and the girl defends. Her arms remain straight as they parry the spear with a circular motion. She turns to her left, circling him but is quickly knocked down when the boy rushes forward and bashes her with the shield. Slowly she gets back up and they resume. "What the hell?"

"What? Never seen a spar before, pretty boy?" Luke turned to the second largest – the largest being in the arena - of group. The voice boomed even without shouting. The teen didn't even face Luke as he talked and kept his focus on the fight. He had a square face and had a large scar over his nose that looked kind of like a… teeth marks? Jeez. Maybe the rumours weren't that far off. Suddenly, Thalia's obsession with volunteering for patrol duty didn't seem so over the top.

"A spar? Looks more like a beat down to me." Not an entirely fair statement. The big guy in the ring did let the girl stand back up every time she was downed and it didn't look like the she was coerced to this set up. Still. That's the third time she's hit the ground and he thinks he's beginning to see a limp with her left.

"Yeah. She's not got it yet. Whatever it is." Explained the teen. Luke raised a brow at that, a silent question. "Look. We think she's trying out something new. But whatever it is, she's not found it." Luke suppressed the urge to snark at the idea of one of them 'thinking' but now wasn't the time. He wasn't here to fight.

He returns his gaze the fight, fascinated by strange spectacle. A few more exchanges occur but it's clear the unarmed girl is outmatched. The spear's superior reach keeps her at the back foot. She is surprisingly quick in dodging the blade but a spear's length equates to great speed and evading every strike is impossible. The spear speeds vertically to cut her but she parries it with her hands. If her opponent wasn't such a hulking brute she would have probably tried to grab the spear but such an action would not be on her favour in this situation.

This repeats and his eyes are drawn to her hands. At a glance, it seems that she is slapping the blade away. On closer inspection he could barely see that she'd intercept the attack by bringing her palm to the flat of the blade and manoeuvring, not striking, the edge away and simultaneously taking a step forward to null the range advantage. Of course, her opponent is a son of the war god and was well versed in combat. Every step she took forward he simply took a step back to keep his distance or he'd retract the spear and slowly force her to back away.

And even the few times she did close the gap, she wasn't going to accomplish anything unarmed. Fist to shield would just leave her with broken bones and the shield itself wasn't just defence as the large teen demonstrates as he swings his left arm in a backhand. She dodges back but is faced with a thrust of the spear. She barely moves it aside in time, though her palm is cut by the imperfect manoeuvre. The one two combo happened in barely a second but for the first time in the match she is in his guard, the giant's left still open from his earlier swing and the spear extended from the thrust. She tries to close the distance to strike but it took less than a second for the larger teen to bring his arms around and catch her in a bear hug.

"Is a shame." A younger son Ares spoke sounded dejectedly. The young girl's right was free to punch, but at this range and with his armour, it was futile. "Little spitfire's got spunk. Her old moves was in your face and wild. But her type? Can't take a hit. She can't block so she gotta dodge." Though maybe he spoke a bit early as the girl head-butts the large teen and frees herself from his hold. She falls flat on her ass stunned and bleeding of course. Bare skull to helmet wasn't exactly the smartest move. Still, the large teen looked a bit dazed despite his head protection.

"Like he said, she's gut spunk." Though it didn't look like she'd be standing on her own for a while.

With the spar over, the four turn their heads to Luke and tenses, his right ready to reach for his sword in case they tried anything. But apparently today was not the day for his 'initiation'.

The members of cabin 5 stand up and move to stand over the downed girl. "Better luck next time Goldilocks!" The dig at the girl and light kick to her side didn't seem mean spirited. Just playful a ribbing. It was odd seeing those known as the camp bullies act so chummy to the small girl. "Here's the swirly that we owe you!" Simultaneously, they uncap their bottles pour water over her face.

Or maybe not. Then again, the angry yelling the girl retorts with didn't seem to have much bite in it and the group of boys just gave boisterous chuckles in response as they left. Plus, drinking water was far from toilet water… unless they drank toilet water. Luke shakes his head and decides to stop trying to make sense of crazy people.

He looked at the girl and his sword. Their spar had lasted quite a bit and he was so enamoured with it that he lost track of time. He didn't have enough to practice so he might as well make the little time he had left productively. He moves towards the wet girl sprawled on the arena.

He thinks back to the first time they visited her. She was out like a light in the infirmary. She had a cast for her shattered hand and bandages for her wounds... and her burns. Her leap towards the Kindly One coincided with Thalia's lightning strike. The result had launched her ten feet in the air and set her hair on fire. Probably the root of Thalia's new restraint with lightning.

The next time they visited her, she was with Chiron in the big house. Chiron explained that they were just about to head to cabin 11. She looked better than before. Her hair was even back to shoulder length. Maybe an act of kindness from some cabin 7 member. Though it seemed like she was recovering from a fight. They said their thanks and she seemed to understand their meaning well enough. Still, not much was accomplished.

Luke Castellan had to admit he was curious and sort of wanted to get to know her better. It was kind of hard not to be curious about this... anomaly in the camp. She didn't eat with them at the mess hall. She wasn't being taught nor was she participating in activities. She was loud and chatty but didn't speak a lick of English or ancient Greek.

Though he didn't know what good it would do him to approach the girl. He heard someone from cabin 7 was helping her on with the language barrier and all but it hasn't even been a month, too early to expect results. That was partly why he never made the initiative to meet her after the last meeting. Plus, he'd rather spend his free time with Thalia, Annabeth and Grover, if he was free, than look for someone they'd only met for a night and can't speak to.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even know he had unconsciously offer her a hand and almost fell over when she accepted his offer. The gentle laughter from her soft lips makes him think that wasn't entirely an accident. "Shinobu." She points to herself. "Himura Shinobu." She then points to him and waits for a response.

"Luke. Luke… Castellan" He himself was surprised by his hesitance. But it kind of made sense, right? He and his mom didn't exactly end on the best terms but… He shelved those thoughts aside as he catches her fall. She definitely won't be able to stand on her own. He carries her by the shoulder, though the height difference makes it a bit awkward.

When his brain coincidentally chooses to remind him of his first encounter with the girl. He quickly turns his face away, ignoring her roars of laughter at his awkwardness.

You'd be awkward too being so close to a stranger you've seen completely naked, no matter how dark and hectic the night and how foggy the memory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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><p>-|Dark Interlude|-<p>

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><p>Hades sat on this throne brooding. He'd be angry, perhaps even furious, but that'd just compound on the headache he was dealing with right now. First, his youngest brother, so called King of Olympus had betrayed their oath. And after what Zeus had attempted to Bianca and Nico then what he did to Maria! He had every right for retribution on Zeus' own!<p>

But his first attempt failed and the child had reached the safety of the camp. He still had monsters attempt attacks but doing so would require a more substantial army than he was comfortable to so with. The camp was definitely the safest place for demigods. Not only did have magical protection, it also had the obvious benefit of having an army of its own, a mostly demigod one at that. And even the satyrs and nymphs in the area weren't simply to be dismissed.

There was also divine politics at play. While Olympus may not care for the Lord of the Dead, he was well aware that not many would oppose him in his attack on the girl herself. Many will view it as just action. A large scale assualt on the camp itself though was a whole other matter. The death of so many of their children, much especially those that they've claimed, he might as well declare war on Olympus itself and save himself the prelude.

Besides even if his grudge was enough to push him to suicidal action, news of an escape from his domain spread him too thin to hope to accomplish anything. Reports were even coming that the escape may have come beyond Tartarus – a foolish notion but one that he ill afford to take too lightly.

No. He will have to hold on to his anger for a while and wait for her to leave the camps protection. Who knows, she might be given a quest. His intellect was already drawing up plans for the future. Small scale attack will continue on the camp. For one, to state his anger. For another, he might get lucky. Most importantly however, it kept him in the loop on her condition and location. He wouldn't want to miss an opportunity should it present itself after all. But he was beginning to lose hope on the matter. With each passing day she would only become more difficult to kill. She was after all still a child of the Big Three.

All this on top of all the dead that continued to pour into his domain, straining his resources. How much had his kingdom swollen this past century alone? How many subdivisions had he had to open? They call him 'The Rich One' yet his expenses continued to pile up. Security, traffic, staff, Charon. The list was endless problems everywhere and he had to handle all of them personally.

It didn't help that it was summer. He looked longingly at smaller throne beside his, shaped like a black flower gilded with gold.

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><p>-|Bright Interlude|-<p>

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><p>Poetically, the brooding mood of the wielder of the Helm of Darkness was mirrored by the god of light.<p>

Apollo raced his chariot across the sky, lost in grim thought, absently taking a glance at the little notebook he held at his hands. Writing while driving may not be the safest of things to do, especially when crashing could end up scorching the earth… or worse. But he had it handled! He's been driving the sun around for quite a long while, even by godly standards. He could practically drive it with his feet!

It's not like he was happy about his little distraction either. Fuck. Fuck! Fuck it all! Why did the last line have to be _that_? It's not like it'd have been good news either way, but right now, he couldn't think of a worse last lines to a prophecy. The prophecy itself was a bit odd too.

It had started out a century ago… or was it two? He'd get bits and pieces of a prophecy as he drove in the sky. His memory of it was foggy too, just to add to the oddity. He knew it happened but forcing any form of coherence from his mind was quite the chore. Completely bizarre.

He assumed it was just another detail Helios never shared about moving the sun about. The titan wasn't simply prophetic after all. The All-seeing, All-hearing, All-knowing. It wasn't a title to be given out willy-nilly. Maybe the two went hand in hand? Like moving gave him a boost? The titan liked to walk when deep in thought. He did too to the annoyance of many. It kind of made sense.

It was fun at first, actually. This was something new. He hadn't had much new things to interest this much him for quite a while. He hadn't thought it but time had caused him to settle to a routine and this new mystery was just what he needed to shake things up a little. But last week, it got personal. "Arte". He was hoping for it to end on a hopeful note, or maybe a solution, a quest to be given. But no.

Just why had it have to be - Whoa! Well, that glacial melt is gonna need explaining! Assuming Zeus doesn't blast his head off first, that is. The old man still hadn't recovered from his hangover from the party he'd asked Dionysus to throw. Unofficially, it was for Thalia reaching Camp Half Blood safely. Officially, for the great angry sex he had with Hera, which just went to prove that he was already inebriated before the party was even announced.

It was so bad he had even puked all over Artemis as she helped him back to his quarters – Hera having two reasons to not take part of the celebration. His little sis still thought to keep that embarrassment a secret from him. Ha! He'd find a way to leverage that into even more teasing for the both of them.

His mischievous smile turns melancholic and slowly crumbles, his shoulders slumping completely. He just hoped there would always be a future where he could jovially annoy both.

His sister. His father.

He looks back down, tears the page, viciously ripping it into as many pieces as he could, and sets the remains ablaze in the hottest heat he could muster. No one could know! If his sister found out… If Zeus even got a whiff of this… NO! Never! Besides, hadn't Zeus escaped prophecy before? It was how they got Athena, right? Maybe the old man could pull a double. Or maybe he was just looking into it wrong. Prophecies were ambiguous right?

Thus, the god of light rode the sun as if to chase away the shadows of prophecy, unaware of the dark force that shadows him and just how dark the future could be.

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><p><em>Once per side of lightning<em>

_And once by the depth's king_

_The vow of three broken_

_..._

_Son delayed awaken_

_Mother's gift, protection_

_From father's objection_

_..._

_Underfoot, horned god dies_

_Son of earth shall arise_

_Bright light doused and darken_

_..._

_Maiden moon forsaken_

_ To dark side ever bound_

_Or lightning be uncrowned_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Annabeth|-<p>

* * *

><p>Annabeth Chase wasn't sure what she hoped to accomplish bringing the strange teen to the Big House. She couldn't help it though. The fellow blonde was an enigma. A puzzle just asking to be solved. Plus, it seemed that she was Luke's favourite person to talk about in the few times they could spend time together. Heck, he talked more about her than he moped about his father and the gods in general. Though, to be fair, his gripe with the gods seemed to have simmered down for a while, likely thanks to the said blonde.<p>

Annabeth wished it was thanks to her or Thalia or Grover but she knew better. Too smart for her own good. If anything, Thalia would just encourage his grudge. The daughter of Zeus wasn't exactly pleased with the gods either, feeling as though the monsters that kept coming to camp was punishment for a crime she didn't commit. Besides, she was always on patrol.

Grover was busy. According to Thalia, he was being dicked around by Council of Cloven Elders. According to Grover, he was a special case and thus they weren't exactly sure what the right course of action was. Though his... _diplomatic_ stance might just come from not want risking his prospect of a searcher's licence.

And herself...

She was too young. Or rather, they _thought_ of her as too young. It was always the same, they'd smile and try to be strong for her when she wanted to be the one to help them. But they didn't need to. Really! She was sure if they just let her, she could help.

But more and more, she found herself with her books and with Chiron. The four of them were like family. They _are_ family. But, little by little, they were drifting apart. And Annabeth was helpless, unable to do anything but watch it crumble before her eyes, day by day.

Annabeth was startled from her thoughts when she was lifted up into a bone crushing hug. It seemed that her companion had sensed her mood, something that Shinobu seemed remarkably good at. She admits, it was a nice gesture, the blonde was even whispering words of comfort – she could only assume - and patting her head. And it did help get her off her depressing thoughts. But it was also getting remarkably hard to breathe! She didn't want to die of crushed ribs either!

She squirms and frantically searches for something, anything else other than her to direct the blonde's attention to. She spots the chess board by the deck. "Hey!" Her loud exclamation thankfully draws the other's attention and Annabeth immediately points to the game on the floor. Instantly her captor lets go, Annabeth dropping to the grass, and turns to focus on the board.

Annabeth pants heavily on the ground to catch her breath then gets up and rubs her sore bottom. She was beginning to think this was a bad idea. Nah. She just needed to have thought of this better beforehand. She had other plans but they never came to ahead. She didn't want to confront the teen while she was with Luke. But it was difficult. Cabin 5 were still on the prowl for the young daughter of Athena despite being warned off by Thalia and Luke.

With so little opportunities, her chance sighting of the teen near the armoury had to be taken.

Annabeth moves to sit on one side of the board and gestures for Shinobu to do the same. The blue-eyed blonde shouts her affirmative and drops to a cross-legged position. Annabeth refrains from berating the girl - The older blonde didn't have to be so loud! She was right here! - and was just glad that the older girl was indeed skilled at taking in non-verbal cues.

Annabeth reaches forward and begins to arrange the pieces on the board, Shinobu watching her actions curiously. All the while, Annabeth thinks about how to teach the game without words.

She decides a demonstration would be a good place to start. She turns the board sideways and begins to play a game with herself. She makes sure to emphasize her actions and makes sure to show every possible action a piece can make before committing to a move. Overall it was a lot harder than she first thought and found her respect for Chiron grow even more. Teaching was tough.

She looks at the older girl and barely resists releasing a sigh as she notes the said girl to be fidgeting, unable to sit still. She was beginning to get the impression that was gonna take while.

* * *

><p>-|Too Long|-<p>

* * *

><p>When Chiron returned to the deck before sunset, he found a young Annabeth sitting on the floor, head on her hands, muttering to herself. "Ah. Annabeth. What seems to be the problem?" She seems startled at his voice and seemed not to catch his inquiry. "You seem troubled." He glances at the chess board laid before her. "Lost to someone?"<p>

She shakes her head in reply. "Won three to zero. Four if you count the first." She certainly didn't. That mostly involved her correcting some of Shinobu's moves. Perhaps chess wasn't the best idea to start with considering some of its rules, like castling and en passant. Checkers might have been better.

Chiron sits across from her and begins arranging the pieces to their place. She didn't give any protest and began to arrange her pieces as well. Perhaps a game would help clear her mind. "Well?" Chiron prods. He has to admit, he was curious of what could trouble the young child. The teacher in him loved her as a pupil, smart but still so eager to learn. A thirst for knowledge that was not uncommon for a child of Athena but one that shone remarkably so in young Annabeth.

She picks up a pawn but keeps it hovered in the air indecisively. Unusual. She wasn't really the type to linger on an opening, having usually had a plan of attack before the game even began. She places it back to its original position and moves another pawn forward instead. "Six if count the last three." Her words a mumbled whisper.

So she did lose a round. He voices his observation but she shakes her head again. "They _don't_ count. They shouldn't." He raises a brow at that. "They weren't chess." He didn't hurry her. She seemed deep in thought, taking her time with each move.

It was five moves later that she expounded her statement. "For the last three, she rearranged the pieces for each and took away some in the last one." Ah. He could see how that would lead to a loss for the daughter of Athena. Changes to the board would mean the young demigod could not rely on pre-planned routes. It must have thrown her off quite a bit.

"She?" He asked, interested to know who had befuddled her so. She wasn't one to make friends so quickly. To have played seven rounds with someone might indicate some form of bond or the beginnings of one.

"Shinobu." She frowned. "I taught her to play. It took a while but seemed to get it well enough. She got bored of it though and that's when she made the changes." She picks up her king and looks at it intently. "She wasn't very good…" The pause told him there was a 'but' coming. "It's weird. I took too long. She wasn't very good but she made me take so long."

"She made you… take too long?" The confusion showed in his voice but he could also see that it confused her as well. It seems that she's trying to find the right words for her thoughts but they eluded her. "Perhaps, Miss Chase, you could invite her over for another game." His intent to observe the interaction was left unsaid but was rather obvious for her. Though she didn't know why he'd be so interested.

She gives him a small nod before conceding her king. It was still three moves away but she could already see the impending checkmate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Thalia|-<p>

* * *

><p>Annabeth didn't get her rematch with Shinobu the next day. Before the night had ended, Annabeth had gotten a chance to catch with Thalia just as she had gotten back to her cabin and Annabeth took that time to catch up to the leather clad daughter of Zeus, which had included Annabeth's afternoon with Shinobu.<p>

Apparently, Thalia had decided it was her turn to have a little one on one with the enigmatic blonde that had somehow gotten the interest of two of her closest friends. And Thalia, she wasn't much for chess.

And so Annabeth and Grover sat in the Arena waiting for the match between Thalia and Shinobu to start. Luke was on patrol right now. Probably the reason Thalia chose this time to have this little spar despite Anna's protest – she had dibs! – against it.

Admittedly, Annabeth and Grover were somewhat interested in the match. And spectating was a way to spend time together. Plus, Thalia promised to catch up with Grover and her after the spar and, after Grover leaves to meet the "Council of Grouchy Old Goats", to help with her dagger training.

It was also probably a good idea to have an extra set of hands, even those as small as Annabeth's and as clumsy as Grover's, in case someone got hurt. It seemed Thalia wished this to be a "real battle and not some game with toy swords", as Thalia worded it. Indeed, Thalia was in full armour and brought her collapsible spear with her. She hadn't brought out Aegis yet though, still collapsed as her metal bracelet.

Unfortunately, it seemed Shinobu didn't get the memo, jumping from foot to foot with no armour and a pair of short wooden swords by her hands. That just served to piss Thalia off. "Hey, bird brain! Suit up already so I can pound you to cow chow!" Wow. It seemed like she was in a grumpy mood today.

"Uhm, Thalia. Sh-she doesn't speak English, re-remember?" Grover nervously tried to reason but Thalia just glares at him – still frightening despite the bags under her eyes - and he gives a small bleat and shrinks into his seat. Still, it seemed that Thalia isn't completely unreasonable today and she tries a different approach. She points to her own weapon and her armour, trying to get through to the other that this was not just an ordinary spar.

The girl just gives a nod in return and gestures to her own state of attire; camp shirt, loose blue shorts, and leather sandals; and her wooden weapons. Thalia raises her arms in frustration before readying her spear. "Fine! It's your funeral!" She gestures with her right. "Come get yours!" A strange move considering Thalia wasn't much for defence these days, often eager to charge her opponents and end the match quick.

Her opponent just raises a brow and just copies the gesture and taunts Thalia to attack instead, if her tone is anything to go by. The thread bare patience that Thalia had snaps and she runs towards Shinobu with a battle cry. Just before she reaches the blonde, Thalia expands Aegis with all its horrifying glory and attempts to us it in a bash.

Shinobu dodges to Thalia's left and stabs her right sword toward Thalia's arm, as close to the shoulder she could strike without the protection of armour. Thalia grits her teeth, refusing to cry out, and turns with her spear to force Shinobu back but is blocked by the shorter girl's left sword. "An interesting plan by Miss Grace." Chiron's voice drew the immediate attention of the only two audience.

The girl and satyr look at him questioningly. Why was he here? And Thalia had a plan? "I decided, since I could not observe the match of chess we had planned yesterday, that I might take the chance to observe this match instead." He had another reason but that could wait. Annabeth nods acceptingly at his response but the look on her face told Chiron she wished him to answer the other unspoken question. His lips edge a smile at her interest. Like mother like daughter.

"It appears that Miss Grace had hoped to use her copy of Aegis' aura to stun her opponent with its fear inducing aura and the surprise of its sudden appearance to provide her with an opening." Indeed, even at this distance the shield's effects could be felt. Chiron frowns in thought. That would also mean that Miss Himura was either unaffected by the shield or was simply unhindered by its affects.

It was a great use of the shield's frightening aura to create an opening for a quick finish. Something that can be used both defensively and offensively. Though it backfired when her opponent didn't react the way she expected leaving herself open for a counter attack. The child of Zeus was now handicapped in this fight. The injury slowed her defence and weakened it too as can be seen on the fight below. Still. "It was a commendable plan."

Thalia is now on the defensive as Shinobu attacks with her wooden swords ruthlessly. Thalia is able to block all of Shinobu's strikes but the small girl puts a bit of force behind her blows making each block aggravate heavily bruised muscle. The Medusa imprint's raised design also meant that strikes didn't glance off the shield quite easily. Thus, more of the force being transferred to the shield and consequently, Thaia's arm.

Not to mention how the smaller girl attacks at different angles, forcing Thalia to continuously move her shield despite its size, adding to the pain to be endured. She couldn't even make use of her spear as the unarmoured girl made great use of her relatively better mobility and her ability to parry with one sword while continuing to attack with the other.

In desperation, Thalia reflexively channels electricity to her shield, little sparks flying from its edge, something that piqued Chiron and Annabeth's interest. From what they'd heard, Thalia had been a bit reluctant to put her electrokinesis to use after the little accident on the hill. Nothing to be concerned over but still something Chiron hoped the girl would overcome sooner rather than later. He was glad this spar was speeding up the process.

Not that it did her much good at this fight. Wooden swords were poor conductors. Briefly, Chiron wonders if that had been the Shinobu's reason for them all along. It certainly wasn't out of proficiency with the double swords. The way she moved was… flawed.

Once or twice she had swung at Thalia's legs, something easily dodged by a quick back step as the very low angle of attack greatly shortens the blade's horizontal reach. Once or twice she had not taken an opening when she was quick to make use of most other similar openings.

By his guess, she was used to smaller blades, daggers perhaps. It would explain why she wasn't making a lot of other mistakes most beginners had in combat but was unaccustomed to using the swords full length; sometimes underestimating, sometimes overestimating the blade's reach.

Never the less, Chiron was on full lecture mode by now, though he kept the more speculative part of his observations to himself. It was refreshing to give a more personal lecture for a change.

Finally, Thalia swings her shield, biting her teeth in pain, and forces Shinobu away allowing her to position her spear defensively. Her shield collapses away and she keeps her spear pointed at Shinobu, keeping her at a distance.

Despite her injury, she still had an advantage. Spears tended to trump swords in an open field. Longer range, greater versatility as it is able to be pulled back for short ranged engagements as well, and superior leverage made it a great primary weapon. Better yet, those wooden swords were definitely not in the league to cut at her Celestial Bronze spear's shaft. And her Electrokinesis made grabbing her weapon a no go.

And Ms Grace appears to be drawing the same conclusion, if the smirk on her face is anything to go by. The spear wielder slowing inches forward, becoming more the aggressor rather than defender. It starts slow, a simple thrust that Ms Himura evades but it quickly escalates into a flurry of metal.

It was a good match to view, one that showed off some of the blonde's dexterity and speed and one that proved just how adept the daughter of Zeus was with the spear. "I hope this match shows you the advantage of range in a fight and also give you some ideas on how to keep a disadvantage of shorter range at a minimum." Annabeth frowns but nods. Chiron was obviously talking about her daggers. Perhaps it was time to complement them with something with a bit more reach.

While Chiron lectures Annabeth at the advantages and disadvantages of sword versus spear, stopping only to acknowledge Grover leaving early, Thalia presses forward. Her confidence swells as she forces Shinobu back. Her left arm still hurts and using the spear two handed didn't help but it was manageable. Most of the work was being done by her right anyway.

She wasn't too overconfident to give away her lead by charging in like a brute. No. She's had this song and dance with Luke before. Yes, this pace was just fine for her.

She had to say, she was really enjoying this fight. At first, she mostly just wanted to vent out a little. Looking back, she might have felt a bit guilty afterwards if Shinobu did get knocked out by her opening surprise shield to the face. It was the kind of act she'd hated the gods for. Dishing out their anger at someone else simply because they could not inflict their wrath on each other.

It's not blonde's fault to be drawn to Luke. Half the girls at the camp thought well of him and she had no doubt that would just continue to grow. Luke was handsome when he wasn't brooding – many would argue he was handsome then as well – and he didn't brood much outside his three, and seemingly now four, friends. Heck, she was almost certain Annabeth was developing some form of innocent first crush on her supposed brother figure. Just overblown admiration Thalia told herself.

She was a bit lost in thought, but not enough to be unable to dodge the wooden sword as it flies straight at her. It wasn't exactly a great projectile, the wood too light and not as balanced as a real sword. She keeps her spear pointed at the blonde to prevent her form capitalizing at all on the attack. But it was obvious none would come as the blonde simply backs away from Thalia.

When Shinobu unarms herself and places the wooden sword, using her pants as a makeshift holster, Thalia's first immediate assumption is surrender. When she lifts her right foot towards herself and begins to unstrap her sandals, realization slowly dawns. Thalia's thoughts are confirmed when Shinobu repeats the process with her other foot and finally ends up with each hand wearing footwear.

They were there to protect her hands no doubt. But surely the swords would have parried her spear just as well if not better thanks to the extended reach they provide. Nonetheless, such a deliberate act made Thalia weary.

Shinobu settles into a stance; left side forward, left hand forward at shoulder height, right hand low at stomach level, legs apart and knees slightly bent. The same one she used on her first encounter with the cabin 6 members if Chiron remembered what he heard from them was correct.

Shinobu's feet slide a few inches this way and that. Chiron could already tell this was not a familiar stance for the girl to use. An impromptu one that she was still settling details in. Shinobu suddenly moves forward and Thalia reacts the moment she comes in range, a series of thrusts and swings to hold the blonde at bay. But Shinobu continues forward, dodging most and parrying those that she couldn't.

Thalia grits her teeth as she is forced to move backwards lest she let Shinobu close the distance. Shinobu didn't move straight towards her but sort of zigzagged a bit forcing a bit of zigzagging on Thalia's part as well. Her mind was a whirl in thought as to why that might be when her footing slips, a wooden sword under her left leg. The opening was small but Shinbu takes it and rushes forward. Thalia quickly pulls her spear back just in time to swat a projectile footwear headed towards her head. Shinobu's left sandaled hand pushes and adds to swing's momentum further opening Thalia to the recently drawn sword about to strike her head.

Purely out of reflex, Thalia's charm bracelet expands into her copy of Aegis, knocking the sword and sending it flying away. But before Thalia can capitalize on the opening, Shinobu is already low and sweeps Thalia off her feet. Thalia has barely registers the fall and the new weight on top of her when she feels two soft taps at the side of her neck.

And just as quickly, Shinobu was already off of her, standing up and offering her a hand up. Part of Thalia was mad at the loss. But she wasn't so petty as to not take the hand. *Zap* Thalia chuckled at Shinobu's yelp. Okay, she can be a bit petty. She shrugged. She'll blame that one on hanging out too much with Luke. He may not like his father but he was just like his brothers in many ways.

Introspectively, Thalia realized she was taking this loss a lot better than usual. But looking at the blonde pulling down her eyelid and giving her a raspberry, Thalia found herself chuckling and out right laughing when said blonde gives her a childish pout.

She had forgotten. When was the last time she laughed?

Her good mood suddenly drains however when she hears the clopping of hooves behind her. She turns to face Chiron, barely registering Annabeth running to hug her. She was hoping for some R&R first but that was because she assumed the 'spar' would be but a one hit KO. "Ms Grace." Chiron did not need to say anymore.

It was time for a Senior Council.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Council|-<p>

* * *

><p>As usual, the Senior Council was held around a ping pong table in the Rec Room. Rather sparse considering the gravity of such meetings. And grave was certainly apt a word for today's.<p>

There was a very brief discussion about Capture the Flag. They were usually held every Friday but they had been put on hold for a while now. Holding a game would definitely raise morale. But it was just too risky. Injuries were not uncommon in these games, and though none have yet to be killed, many campers were already injured.

Attacks from monsters were still common and all hands were needed. Another reason why training was becoming more theoretical rather than practical. Sparring injuries were just too high a cost lately to justify. Not that it stopped some, mostly members of cabin 5, from taking to the arena on their spare time.

Speaking of cabin 5, the children of Ares were in highest demand for patrols followed by those from Hephaestus cabin, which had somehow spiralled into an unspoken completion between the two cabins. And naturally, the more a cabin was called for the risky jobs the more they demanded from everyone else. Most counsellors demanding less chores for their own members which meant more chores for everyone else's.

Then the Aphrodite cabin's contribution had been questioned as they took part of combat the least. The counsellor of cabin 10 would retort that her members did indeed do a very important service of keeping spirits up.

The counsellor of the Apollo cabin complained about his members being overworked from both participating in patrols and serving as the bulk of the camps medical staff, another position with rising demand for obvious reasons but one he claimed was being neglected its due credit simply for being a non-combat task.

And so on and so forth. The whole affair took hours and even the final decision was agreed upon grudgingly. No doubt a topic that will come up again at the next meetings to come.

What was left unspoken was the topic of the Zeus cabin's counsellor and its only member. Everyone knew the increased attacks were meant for her after all. Initially, many campers had held that against her. Why did they have to suffer for her existence? For a grudge none of them were a part of. But such thoughts were becoming harder and harder to keep as the daughter of Zeus had taken to spending as much time she could on duty. Individually, she was arguably the one camper doing the most against the attacks.

Thus thoughts about her were conflicted before the meeting even started. Hence, none had questioned cabin 1's contribution but neither had they acknowledged it. Eyes would dart to her but quickly move away. She sat there, alone in the crowded room.

Fortunately or unfortunately, her isolation would not last. The final topic was at hand, the conversation eventually being steered by Silenus, a satyr and member of the Council of Cloven Elders. It was the second purpose of his inclusion here after all.

The first was merely to inform everyone the status of the satyrs. They helped with patrols as well. Also, the high concentration of monsters near the camp made sending out protectors difficult, which meant less demigods to be brought in. Very bad news at a time where manpower was at a premium. Satyrs on patrols meant satyrs not helping with growing strawberries, the camps main source of income. This was doubly bad as deliveries were in increased risk of being attacked and, a few days ago, monster had gotten deep in the camp and ruined a large patch of strawberries being grown.

And the topic at hand? the other purpose?

A quest.

With security so taxing to manpower, the thought of losing more to journey for a quest left a bitter taste for everyone. Not to mention how much riskier it would be just to leave camp with all the monsters around.

On the other hand, a successful quest might just bring back a means to protect the camp. At the very least, a successful quest would raise morale, another resource quickly being drained.

All eyes landed on Thalia. And this time, they stayed on her. A quest was already dangerous by itself. A quest with so many monsters around was doubly so. For Thalia to be part of this quest… conflicted as their opinions were, they were not as heartless as to force her to something akin a suicide mission.

But if she was to take a quest, as the main target of the monsters, it might draw most of them away from camp for a while. It could give the camp a much needed reprieve, give them time to recuperate and to further bolster their defence. Silenus even had the bright idea that demigods leaving for a quest might give the satyrs a safer opening to venture out of camp, likely his main reason.

The risks were high and the odds of it being worth it was questionable but options were limited and not taking one might be an even worse decision to take.

Before anyone else could steer the topic away from her, Thalia stood up and…

* * *

><p>-|Prophecy|-<p>

* * *

><p>…whatever she had said yesterday back in that room had been a blank to her. She could barely even remember visiting the oracle. It was all a blur, only the words of the prophecy left clear in her mind.<p>

_You shall be the lone demigod to take this quest_

_You may earn a pardon through twelve tasks as a test_

_At death's entrance, the heroine to bid farewells_

_Thorny walls and fiery towers to toll their bells_

And now here she stood with two strangers about to head out to what was probably their deaths. No! She couldn't think like that. It was just like Chiron said. If you go to battle expecting defeat, defeat might decide to answer your call. Better to stay positive, as positive as she could be. Besides prophecies were ambiguous, right?

That's why she was going to have companions in this quest despite the '_you must be lone_' line. It said '_lone demigod_' so a satyr and a legacy going with her _technically_ went with the prophecy.

She didn't know what to think of her companions, Gleeson Hedge and Shinobu. They weren't exactly her first choice but then again, she didn't know of anyone else she could take with her.

The Coven Elders were keeping Grover busy as usual as it seemed they were still at two minds on giving him his searchers licence.

On one hand, he had fulfilled his duty and got her into camp. On the other, they debated whether his involvement had been of actual help or hindrance. Grover himself admitted that it was his fault they kept making wrong turns and that he had compromised in protecting her by taking two others along. The stupid goat needed to grow backbone. He shouldn't have to take blame for Luke's bruised ego!

There was also the fact that he was rather young. Among the youngest if not the youngest searcher if he had gotten his licence, as far as she knew.

The eventual conclusion, from what she gathered, was that Grover would get his license after four years. It was unorthodox but the council considered the entire situation unorthodox. Supposedly, it was also to give him time to prepare for the journey. Bah. If you asked her, it was to give him time to screw up and give them reason to deny him.

Either way, he was stuck at camp trying to be helpful as possible.

Luke got injured in patrol today and Annabeth was too young. Everyone else wasn't quite sure how to feel about her and she didn't really want bad blood to get in the way of the quest.

Gleeson Hedge was the only satyr available according to Silenus. Everyone else had strawberry duty or were to head out as protectors and searchers the moment she acted as bait by stepping out of the barrier. Shinobu Himura was the only legacy at camp.

Oh! And that saying her last farewells and dying part could totally be interpreted a hundred different ways! Riiight. And Hera was about to become her patron. She snorted. Speaking of Hera, that twelve labours thing was really making her think that this is all the goddess' doing. Who knows, maybe she bribed Apollo to send her out to her death.

Great. Now she sounded like Luke. Yeah, she wasn't the fan of the gods but at least she didn't sit and moan about it like he did – thankfully less so now, but still. She went out and did something about her situation, hence her insistence on being a part of patrols. Yeah, it raised her rep and, yeah, it gave her opportunities to take out her anger at something or another. But more than anything else, it gave her some control over her life. Monster hunting was something she could actively do.

The exact same reasons she's going to face this quest head on! If she was going down, she was going down swinging!

Still. She couldn't shake the grim thoughts from her head. The likely hood that this quest would kill her… Really, it was the reason she didn't want her friends involved. It was why she didn't tell them she had a quest. News would spread soon but that was why she made the impromptu decision to leave early without telling anyone other than her companions and Chiron.

The centaur showed his disapproval but was kind enough to honour her request.

She couldn't bear to say goodbye. It would just feel too final, too real. Worse, her friends might just be able to convince her to abandon the quest altogether.

Though it seemed Shinobu didn't have such reservations, currently waving goodbye to two sons of Apollo, who had given her a book, and one son of Hephaestus, who gave her weapons and the leather straps to carry them with.

For a moment she feels guilt at placing the blonde in danger when the blonde probably didn't even understand the situation nor the risks involved. For a moment she considers that perhaps it would be better if she did this alone. Why put anyone else at risk?

But she sees the determined glint in their eyes when they initially regard her, brief as it may be, and she knows they would not back down even if she told them too.

They were too stubborn for their own good.

Just like her.

What a sorry lot they made.

Wordlessly, they get in the van, Argus in the driver seat and her riding shotgun. Better get this show in the road!

"Goodbye…"

* * *

><p>-|X|-<p>

* * *

><p>Reviews! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Both are perfectly valid so feel free to voice your opinions. Whether if it's a simply, "I liked this", or an incredibly blunt criticism of my work, <strong>all are welcome<strong>. Heck, feel free to grammar Nazi your way along.

Like I said, in the summary, this is creative writing practice so I'm open to all input from my readers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Exit|-<p>

* * *

><p>The speed by which they exited camp was just about enough to out run all of the monsters they came across.<p>

To be fair to the monsters, they had spent most of their time in the forest trying to breach camp and they probably had to run quite a distance from wherever they had been from when the van left the barrier. And by some wounds they could see from the monsters, it seemed some infighting was happening as well.

They had to give Argus some props on his driving, especially the eyes he had all over his body likely made the bumpy ride even more uncomfortable. Ouch.

But now that the excitement was over, they could relax for a bit. Something both Thalia and Gleeson are very much thankful for. Uncharacteristic for those that knew them. But Gleeson just got back from a failed attempt to leave camp yesterday. And all the work and pressure had begun to take a toll on Thalia – maybe an excuse she could use for her loss in that spar – on top of not having much sleep having to leave early. All that on top of what many from camp already considered a failed quest and they don't know of anyone who wouldn't be worn down by now.

Of course, Shinobu didn't share in her companions' plight. Her head out the window, eagerly taking in the sights and sounds. It has been a long time since she's travelled near this speed so she is very much enjoying the wind in her face. Besides, this was a novel experience for her.

This vehicle for example and the road? There was almost nothing like this in the Elemental Nations.

Travel, especially long distance travel, like the one she's participating in now, was rare simply due to how dangerous it was. Most civilians just stayed in place in the relative safety of their boarders. Few travellers meant low demand for better roads and low demand for technological innovation when it came to transport.

She should enjoy her time in this peaceful world. Just watching the kids at camp actually act like children should have been enough confirmation for her. How slow the pace of their lives were.

Sure, a semblance of that was found in the Elemental Nations. But those were luxuries. Her generation had the most luxury of all. But that really just proved her point as it was the most peaceful generation she knew off.

Heck, Kakashi-sensei was only 14 years older than her and he grew up at the Third Ninja World War and he was a nutcase. And, she may have sucked at the academy, but she's pretty sure those being named specifically as 'ninja' world wars likely meant there were other world wars. And it wasn't just the Sharingan no Kakashi that had his quirks. Most of his peers either had their share of idiosyncrasies or were flat out crazy people.

And strange as they were, these people in this world were just nowhere near _that_ level of insanity.

It was a nice. Not steeped in warfare – A shriek echoes in the distance and Shinobu bursts into a grin and cracks her knuckles – but not too peaceful to be boring.

Thalia and Gleeson straightened up, "A Kindly One!" Already Argus begins increasing speed but the van didn't comply. The van wasn't in best conditions and the attacks have left maintenance of non-combat relevant objects in low priority. It was supposed to get a check-up before the quest, but the sudden change in schedule didn't leave time for one.

There was no running from this fight. It seemed Shinobu had the same conclusion. She grabs one of her swords, opens the door, and in one motion, leaps out and lands on the van's roof. Before Thalia could protest Gleeson was already taking the blonde's lead, though less gracefully, climbing out to on top of the moving vehicle, metal baseball bat in hand. "What? I'm not leaving all the action to the runt!"

Thalia suppressed a scream of frustration. How did she end up being the level headed one? She was about to suggest Argus to stop when she saw a pair of hellhounds leap out from the van's shadow. The only reason they weren't on them right now was that the van was moving too fast to attack. Hopefully they'd tire out but that was for later.

But of course, it had to get worse. "All three of them?!" Indeed, two others could be seen at a distance ahead of the car. The first was already giving the two up top some trouble. It's fiery whip out ranged sword and bat and the two's footing wasn't exactly great with the van having to occasionally veer right or left thanks to other vehicles on the road.

Thalia opens her window and moves so that her upper torso was outside the van. She holds out her hands towards the two winged monsters at a distance willing lightning to swat them out the sky. A flash and the clapping of thunder but neither were struck. Thalia curses under her breath. Why hadn't she taken up Annabeth's and Luke's offer to practice back at camp?

Meanwhile, Kindly One was doing a very good job at keeping her distance. She drops down to the height of the van and attempts to lash out at their feet. She might not even need the help of her sisters. Of course, no sooner had the thought crossed her mind when the unthinkable happens. The blond girl leaps from the van and stabs her through the heart.

The sword's long and narrow pierces through with ease. The blade was not of Celestial Bronze but if that sword to the heart was not lethal, the crushed ribs from the blonde's feet crashing into her, using her body as a platform to leap back on to the van, and the Fury's crashing down the concrete road before being run over by another vehicle was sure to seal the deal.

Gleeson just looks at his companion with twinge of stunned amazement. It all felt like minutes but he was sure it happened in less than a second. The blond just gives him a thumbs up and a sparkling wide grin in return.

The moment is interrupted by another flash and a thunderous boom, indicating the strike occurring much closer than before. They turn in time to witness the victim fall from the sky and explode into golden dust before it hits the ground. Thalia's celebration over her feat could barely be heard over the wind rushing past their faces.

The last remaining monster hesitated before retreating.

…

"Hey! Come back you coward!"

Argus rolls his eyes at the satyr's indignant outrage. Thalia couldn't help but do the same. Knowing their luck, there would be more than enough monsters to go around. She closes her eyes, tired. Summoning two lightning bolts at that distance was incredibly taxing. She was just glad it was as cloudy as it was today.

Shinobu for her part sits atop the van still grinning. Yup! Definitely not boring.

* * *

><p>-|Direction|-<p>

* * *

><p>It was only after they got out of the van and into the bus that Thalia realized just how vague the prophecy was. It didn't even have instructions in which direction they should take. The hectic ride out of camp with monsters at the get go really takes your mind of things.<p>

She supposed that since it was prophesied she'd get to her destination no matter what. Still, she wasn't about to just wait and let the prophecy happen all by itself.

So, Hera. Yup. Might as well get it over with and see what twelve labours she had to endure. Should they go up the Empire State and meet her in person? Somehow, that didn't seem right to her. Still, it wasn't like they had any other lead.

Traveling to the Empire State Building was easy enough. Chiron was kind enough to give them enough money for public transport.

It was amusing to watch Shinobu walk around, or rather skip around enamoured with everything around her, her simple ponytail bouncing with each step. Though, the handkerchief covering the lower part of her face – "Cities stink, but she'll get used to it." Gleeson assured. - and her weapons being openly displayed made it a strange sight.

The blonde's wore leather straps that held her sheathed blades over an oversized, Camp Half-Blood shirt and very loose, dark-blue denim pants. Two straps went vertical over her shoulders and connected with another that acted as a belt. One the left and right of her waist were the swords and she had blades holstered under each armpits as well and a eleven more blades, daggers by the looks of it, behind her back, four per vertical strap and three along the belt behind her back. All that plus her metal arm and shin guards.

The only ones that went out with more gear that she knew of would have been from the Hephaestus cabin, but they'd mostly be carrying tools to tinker with. Maybe the Ares cabin would but as far as Thalia knew they often had a favourite.

Between her and Gleeson's bat and bag of tin cans, Thalia found herself to be carrying the least amount of metal in the group. Another first to add to the list. She wondered what the Mist, the force that keeps mortal's from seeing the supernatural, showed the people looking at Shinobu. Did it even hide anything at all? The blades weren't Celestial Bronze nor were they enchanted as far as she knew.

Once they had arrived, Thalia looks at her companions and begins to convince Hedge to stay while she goes up to see if she could meet Hera. While the satyr could certainly give the demigod props for taking the direct approach, even giving her props for having the courage to go about it alone, he wasn't so keen on being left behind with the instructions of keeping their other companion out of trouble.

But it's not like having all three of them there was gonna accomplish much more than her going in alone. Diplomacy wasn't one of his fortes and Hera wasn't exactly known for speaking Japanese, as far as he's heard of at least.

It didn't make spending time doing nothing with someone he couldn't talk to any less boring. He decides that they should take a bit of a walk and "guard the perimeter". This was New York. There was always a good fight to be found around.

* * *

><p>-|Fourth|-<p>

* * *

><p>The time they spent walking hadn't resulted in much excitement so far. Shinobu busied herself by trying to draw charka. Though, from Gleeson's perspective, the kid looked like she was trying to break her right pointing and middle finger or at the very least was trying to squeeze tightly as they walked. But it didn't' look like she lost her awareness of her surroundings, stopping before crossing and not bumping into any one along the way, so he didn't bother her about it. As far as he was concerned, she was at the very least doing something to occupy herself.<p>

Him though? He was bored. He was already leading them towards the seedier parts of the city that he remembered. It's been a while but city couldn't have changed that much… he thinks. And he was seriously beginning to doubt himself on that. About an hour and not a peep. Not even as simple pickpocketing that he could spot.

But he could smell monsters. Wherever they were, they were close. Sure enough, sounds of a fight was became audible. He began to pull the girl along by the hand. He was glad that she seemed to be able to keep up and he was a bit surprised when she began to pull ahead besides him. He realized that his companion had begun to pick up on it as well, no longer needing to be lead to their destination.

The came into a small park to a scene of a middle-aged man being assaulted by two Scythian dracanae, humanoid females with twin serpent trunks instead of legs, and a minotaur, body of a man with a head of a bull. Or rather, he was attacking one Scythian dracanae while the other was trying to free itself between a tree and the bull pinned to the tree by its horns.

Well that wasn't about to stop him from joining the fun. He already missed his chance once after all. Seeing as the girl was already rushing towards the tree bound duo, no doubt to finish them off before they could become a threat again, he instead turns his focus on the one busy defending with her shield. With her back to him, he drops his heavy bag and takes the opening and rushes with his metal bat.

It seems serpentine woman wasn't too distracted as her tails attempted to sweep the satyr off his feet but that was quickly discouraged as Hedge slammed his bat down onto it and getting a hiss out of her. With defeat inevitable, she swings her spear wide then flees as they avoided the strike. But Gleeson wasn't about to have any more of that today if his tone, "Coward!" was of any indication.

Quickly making it back to his dropped bag and reaches in and brings a tin can to hand. He gives it a slight upward toss and then strikes it with his bat sending it speeding towards its target. "Batter up!" Cliché, but the crushed can nonetheless found its mark at the base of her neck, killing the monster almost immediately.

With the excitement over Gleeson turned to his companion who was busy scowling at the slight bend near its tip, no doubt either due to the minotaur's thick hide or its struggling as it was stabbed or both. Finally, they looked at the man they rescued – actually he didn't need any rescuing – who was in turn regarded them. "A satyr and may I assume that you are a demigod?"

Shinobu begins her reply, a line she memorized line to say she didn't know English that she'd been practicing, but Gleeson interrupts her "Actually, she's a legacy and she doesn't speak English." The girl pouts, no doubt getting the gist of what he had said… maybe.

The man pauses as if to consider those words. "A legacy." The man looked to be at his late forties, maybe older, with his greying hair. "I didn't not think Camp Half-Blood change their policy." Ah. So he was familiar with the camp. Likely a demigod. It would explain why he was attacked.

"You were a camper?" The man replies his affirmative, explaining that had long since stopped attending as he was more than capable of tending to his own needs and did not need the camp's protection, as showcased by how well he fared in the earlier encounter. "You don't smell like one." Not entirely accurate. He could smell the man just fine right now, but it was slightly muted, as if the man had just recently popped up out of the ground or off the sewers. Even traveling here by vehicle should have left a much stronger scent in the vicinity.

"Yes. I've tried to stay under the radar for a while now and I've attempted many means of staying that way." A spell or artefact perhaps? Either way, it helped explain why the satyr didn't sniff him out earlier. "If I may, what language does she speak? Greek perhaps?" Shinobu seeing the topic of discussion shift towards her seized the opportunity and quickly spoke out. By the sounds of it and since she gestured to herself as she spoke her name, she had introduced herself in Japanese.

To both their surprise, the man responded in Japanese as well, which resulted in the girl catapulting herself to hug the man, much to his amusement. "I take it that I've been the first one she's been able to talk to?" Gleeson just shrugged. "But the girl does have a point." Said girl was now circling him, very animatedly taking interest with his many pockets. "We have not introduced ourselves."

"Gleeson", was the satyr's simply reply. The man then very quickly grabbed Shinobu's attention by extending his to her. She looked at the man for a moment before accepting the offered handshake. The man then spoke to her. Maybe to translate what he had just said? Gleeson wasn't sure though he could see that Shinobu gave the handshake much more energy and followed it with a short nod before the man turned his attention back at him.

"My name is Ivan V. Hugo. You may call me Ivy."

Somehow both Shinobu and Gleeson knew that Ivy was going to be with them for a while and they both wondered how Thalia might react to finding out that their party of three had just become a party of four.

* * *

><p>I'm not sure if I can keep schedule next week. I'm believe I can but I thought you guys deserved a head's up just in case.<p>

And like always, feel feel free to voice your opinions. Like it? Hate it? **All feedback are welcome**. Like I said, in the summary, this is creative writing practice so I'm open to all input from my readers.

And while we're in that topic. I might as well take this opportunity to ask you guys some questions. How do feel about OC, characters created by an author inserted into a fanfic? Do you prefer none? Are you okay with a few? Just one?


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Ivy|-<p>

* * *

><p>They were frozen in shock, possibly even fear, unable to comprehend the anomaly, the horror, before them. Never before had they seen such voracity, such carnage, such large amounts of… ramen – ramyun, Korean brand, not that Shinobu cared - being devoured by such a small girl. Indeed, that was the fifth bowl Shinobu was putting down and the three of them haven't even touched their meals. And those were rather large bowls. "Are you sure you're good for this old man?"<p>

Ivy just nodded, though a bit reluctantly, at Thalia's inquiry. "I offered your friends a meal as thanks for their rescue me and so I will." Thalia couldn't help but raise a brow at that. From what she heard, he didn't need any rescuing. He was being a bit too generous to not be suspicious. And speaking of suspicious.

"I noticed you didn't order anything." Indeed, while Thalia had barbecued pork and Hedge had a salad but Ivy's side was empty of a plate. Gods, she still couldn't get over that a grown man called himself that. Maybe she was just being extremely petty. She supposed spending all that time convincing security to let her in and then wandering through Olympus, a city in its own right, only to find out that not only was Hera not in but also that no one knew where she was had left a toll on Thalia. She should just be happy for any good fortunes they came across.

"I'm not hungry. I don't have much appetite these days." The tone of his voice made Thalia think that 'these days' was a much longer time period than the wording implied. Though, truth be told, she didn't have much of an appetite these days as well as proven by the half plate of food she hasn't touched.

Thalia grabs Shinobu's attention and hands the blonde the plate. Shinobu shows her reluctance but not for long. And very quickly the food vanishes into the black hole that is Shinobu's gullet.

Shinobu for her part was just enjoying the fact that she was eating ramen. It was no Ichiraku but still… She was eating ramen! She had thought this world was bereft of the gift of ramen. She did not see it served even once at camp and it wasn't like she could ask. Again, the only two who could understand her back there could only do so barely. So, yes. She was going to savour this moment for all that it was worth.

It was also a bit of revenge on Ivy-san. Oh, he was certainly generous with the gift of ramen, but he was also being kind of a dick. He was definitely far more proficient in speaking her language and yet he seemed to find amusement in her ignorance, not giving her direct answers to many of her questions.

What's with the snake ladies? Where they summons? Or was that a bloodlimit? Or a justu? What about the bull man? Or the goat man that was with her? Why does everything that dies turn to shiny sand?

Scythian dracanae. No? No? No? Minotaur. Satyr. Not everything turns to gold dust.

Okay, so technically, he answered her questions. But he knew what she meant and those weren't exactly helpful. So she now knew what to call half snakes, half bulls, and half goats. He didn't explain why they were that way. She could at best assume that the words 'summons', 'bloodlimit', and 'justu' were unfamiliar. But that didn't really tell her anything. For all she knew they simply had different words to refer to such things.

But it's not like rephrasing the questions would help. Heck, he wouldn't even give proper answers when she asked follow up question for him to elaborate on. Okay. Not everything to turns to gold dust. So what creatures do turn to gold dust? What about humans? What about half goats, satyrs? Why do some things turn to gold dust and not others?

It depends. No. No. Ah, it looks like your friend has returned. Let's continue this later.

And she knew he was being deliberately infuriating. That twinkle in his eye and the small amused tug on his smile told her that much. He answered honestly, but tried to give as little information as possible. As if it was a game to him. Well. If he wanted to play games, she can play them as well. Starting with burning a small hole in his wallet.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It seemed she didn't have the same appetite she remembered. Less than a dozen bowls plus Thalia's half plate and she was already slowing down. She wondered if this was a girl thing. Most of the kunoichi she knew ate little, a lot of them keeping to their diets, with only a few exceptions like Anko. Or maybe it was chakra related. She didn't have as much chakra to burn so maybe she didn't need to eat as much food. Or maybe she was just remembering wrong.

Contrary to popular belief, Shinobu/Naruto didn't have a habit of eating stacks of ramen in one sitting. Yes, she/he ate primarily ramen and definitely a lot of it but those ramen were distributed through the day.

Whatever the case, it looks like this round goes to Ivy-san. She simply couldn't eat enough for him to back down on his offer. His expression didn't even show any of the regret or sorrow she usually got from Iruka whenever she burned through his pay check. She patted her belly in satisfaction and gave a loud burp. She could fit more in there for sure, but in the middle of a mission was not the place. Too much and she may end up puking in a middle of a fight. A waste of ramen. Maybe next time.

Gleeson Hedge for his part just nodded approvingly at Shinobu. As far as he was concerned, this was a word of eat or be eaten, and she was eating so she won't be eaten. The term 'lion's share' had to come from somewhere, right? In fact, deciding that such a train of thought obviously made perfect sense, he ordered a second salad and made a promise to eat a tin can sometime along the way.

"So. Have you given thought to where you are to go next?" Ivy's sudden inquiry caught Thalia by surprise. Truthfully, she had no idea where to go next. "You are looking for Hera, correct?" Yeah, but it's not like the US had temples devoted to the Greek gods and goddesses. Not that she knew of at least.

"I was thinking of going to Las Vegas." Though, looking at Ivy's expression she could tell he disapproved. "Why not?" It was after all, the Marriage Capital of the United States of America and, "Hera is the goddess of marriage". But Ivy just shook his head and began to straighten his posture as if preparing for a lecture.

"Personally, I'd prefer not to go too far west." He gave brief pause but continued before Thalia could interrupt. "Yes, Las Vegas might be considered the Marriage Capital but Hera has very high standards. She has a definite preference to perfect marriages and many Vegas marriages are anything but perfect." Thalia grimaced that bit of info. It made sense. But…

"You sound like you're planning to come with us?" He gave her a look that asked if that would be a problem. She wanted to say yes but couldn't come up with a good reason as to why. Here was an older, more experienced demigod offering to help them on her quest. She could say that more demigods in one place meant more monsters but the excuse sounded hollow even in her mind. "Why?" At the very least, she wanted to know that much.

"Partly, I could use the company. I was separated from a… friend of mine recently and I've not been accustomed to being on my own for a while now." The frown on his face tells Thalia that he probably didn't expect to be so attached to this friend. He fit the loner bill well enough. Maybe he was also hoping to find this friend along the way? That didn't mean that Thalia bought his story completely though. Again, loner type. Not exactly the kind to join a party of three.

Before Thaia could express her reluctance, Gleeson spoke up. "Partly?" It seemed the satyr had his own reservations with Ivy joining the party. Ivy hesitated. Perhaps trying to find the right words or perhaps he himself did not completely understand his own reasons. Either way, the satyr gave him a look that let him know that if Gleeson gets a whiff of him going traitor, the satyr would strike first and ask for apologies later. Scratch that. There won't be any apologies, no matter the circumstance.

"Another reason is… curiosity." His eyes glanced at Shinobu as he said this. Thalia inwardly groaned. Yeah, Shinobu was a curiosity all right. It's been said before, but it bears repeating. Legacies are practically unheard of in Camp Half-Blood. Heck, most of the camp didn't even know what a legacy was before the word of mouth caught on.

The blonde wore what was in her opinion and excessive amount of blades, eleven of which looked identical - Who needs eleven of the same daggers? – none of which that she'd seen were of Celestial Bronze, the sword that she'd seen didn't look Greek, a style that was definitely not Greek, all on top of not being able to speak Greek or English and only speaking Japanese despite not looking even remotely Asian. How the fuck did she even get to Camp Half-Blood not knowing either language?

"And the other reason?" A token gesture, really. Again, Thalia didn't really have a good reason to say no to the help. But she really couldn't shake off her distrust of the man. It wasn't so much that she thought he'd stab them in the back as much as she noticed how guarded the man was about information about himself.

Ivy sighed, running his hand through his greying hair. "Protection." Thalia raised a brow at that. "Despite appearances this body isn't really won't be up to the task of fighting through encounters such as the one your friends witnessed." Thalia gave him an inquiring look, likely asking if he was sick or injured. "I have a workshop where I can address the issue and I'll be able to take care of myself after that but for the moment, I'm on borrowed time. Soon, I won't even be able to stand, let alone hold a sword."

"So you want us to act as body guards while we head to this place of yours for medicine?" Ivy didn't reply and Thalia just grunted at that. Perhaps it was pride and him not wishing to show weakness or perhaps he was simply a secretive person. Either way, it was obvious he really didn't want to tell them much more. "Okay, so where do you need to go?" With luck, it wouldn't be too much of a detour.

"I don't know." Ivy quickly continued before Thalia could comment. "The entrance to… the entrance shifted. I don't really know where it is any more. There are other entrances to it but I'm not sure they have not shifted as well. It was how I was separated from my companion in the first place." Great. Thalia gave him a look that told him that they weren't going to stray too far from their chosen destination just to help him. "Don't worry. I know of enough entrances to check up on that it'll be of no issue.

So, from what she gathered, Ivy was looking for teleporting doors that would teleport him to safety. She briefly wondered if she should be happy or worried that she was being so desensitized to the bizarre. She supposed this was probably only strange by mortal standards.

"If not Vegas, where do you think we should start?" Vegas was so far west it didn't have to be their first stop.

"I suggest Washington." Washington? "Like I said, Hera has high standards." It took a bit but slowly, it made more sense for Thalia. High standards, and which family and marriage had to be held to the highest standards, at least publicly? She groaned.

"I don't think visiting the First Family will be that easy." Then again, when was anything easy for a demigod?

* * *

><p>This is mostly just filler. This is the best I could do. I'm not sure I'll do much better this month. March has always been hectic for me.<p>

About my question about OC's, as expected, the less OC's the better.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

><p>-|Intermission|-<p>

* * *

><p>Riding the train to DC was Ivy's idea. Riding atop it instead of inside it was Gleeson's. Shinobu, according to Ivy who seemed just amused at all this, was all for it. Thalia, wanted to strangle all of them.<p>

She probably would if she could make up her mind of who to kill first; Ivy, who mirthfully did not protest to such stupidity and in yet found himself inside the train, supposedly having paid a ticket or maybe just bent the Mist to make people believe he was a passenger; Gleeson who was stupid enough to suggest such a thing in the first place and vocally encouraged Shinobu's dangerous stunts atop the speeding vehicle; or Shinobu who could somehow not only stand atop despite the high speeds and but even ran around doing stupid shit like hand stands and practice a few sword stances.

Of course, the other reason could be that Thalia was too busy on her belly hanging on for dear life. And that was before Gleeson commented that at this speeds, with the rushing against their face that it was kind of like flying in a way. Okay. The satyr dies first. The blonde will probably get herself killed so that left the old man.

While Thalia was contemplating multiple homicides, Shinobu was having the time of her life. Finally, chakra. It was small, barely more than what she had that night she used the imperfect Rasengan but it was far more than she had the following days after than night. She was convinced it was thanks to the power of ramen. What else could it be, really? In any case, she was definitely going take advantage of this opportunity to grow her reserves as well as further improve upon her new style.

Sticking to the train wasn't too chakra intensive, really she only needed to do so every once in a while and often only in short bursts, which was good since she didn't want to wear herself out in the middle of a mission.

With that in mind, Shinobu, as she is now called, sits in a lotus position with her hands in the ram seal. Meditating should help replenish her a bit. As she does so, her eyes closed, she contemplates everything that's happened in the last… month? Half a month? or was it more than a month? She wasn't entirely sure how long she was out after her first fight.

Her last memories of Naruto was of him as a father of two. It therefore should have been odd for Shinobu to live as a young teenage girl. But it wasn't. She wonders if this is just an aspect of being disconnected from Naruto. She was but a small fragment of his soul after all. Or maybe it's a side effect of passing through the gap between worlds.

What was she anyway? Initially she'd just been a wondering soul fragment with just the tiniest of drops of chakra. She didn't remember much of that time. She had brief flashes of existence in this world, but her physical bodies were always unstable. Those felt like forever ago and at the same time like just a moment ago. And this body she had now…

It started malleable. She needed to just in case her initial form was inadequate for the challenges of this world. But she's pretty much stuck as she was now. The first time spent unconscious took away what was essentially her small window to adjust.

She was still amazed at what she had accomplished with so little. Life. She was alive and whole in a whole other world.

What she did was mostly a bastardized version of what the bijuu did. The tailed beasts were living forms of chakra and Naruto had been stuck with one all his life and had plenty of experience with others as well, not to mention experience in the Tailed Beast Mode. So all she needed was enough chakra to manifest a body and poof! Life! Well…

It was a bit trickier than that. She was definitely glad for Naruto's extensive mastery of the Kage Bunshin and Toad Sage Mode. Sage Mode was her method of gathering chakra… or whatever passed as chakra in this world. And Kage Bunshin allowed her a human body without the need for extensive knowledge of anatomy.

Kage Bunshin created corporeal copy of the user. A weaker, less stable copy, but one exact in almost every way. Even the chakra pathways were copied. And that extended to every other bodily system. Of course it did. Otherwise the technique would not create copies that mimicked the user's injuries or weaknesses.

It made it all the stranger as to why she'd be a girl instead of just being a Naruto copy but she just chalked that up to the majority of the… life force she has not being be from Naruto. Sort of like how too much natural energy through toad-influenced Sage Mode turned you into a toad statue.

She still thought of herself as Naruto. She had their collective memories after all. Many of what they did she'd still do again in a heartbeat but there were others that she questioned. So many what ifs. It made sense she supposed. Her existence was the result of that question.

As Shinobu contemplated on her existence, Thalia and to some part Gleeson could not help but take note. They were so used to her being the loud hyperactive blonde that seeing Shinobu's current silence and stillness. In some ways, it felt unnatural. Quiet and contained were traits that sounded like the antithesis of all they knew about that girl.

It reminded Thalia that she in fact did not know much about the girl. They had one spar and less than a day of this quest together. The rest of her knowledge about the blonde came from what Luke and Annabeth had told her. There were other rumours too but Thalia wasn't one for hearsay. Though, she could see some kernel of truth to them now after spending some time with the blonde.

The one about Shinobu being the love child of a son of Ares and a daughter – son by many accounts but Thalia would rather not go there - of Apollo, while an obvious romanticization by the Aphrodite cabin – deranged harpies that they were - was obviously brought forth by the girl's love of and proficiency in combat combined with her golden blonde hair and sunny personality.

But what laid before her now was a serene sight that, despite how loud everything else was, Thalia could almost convince herself that this was a quiet scene. She briefly wonders if she'll incorrectly remember this as a quiet memory. It was too bad that this was their stop. "Hey, Shinobu." Thalia tried to nudge the girl as gently as she spoke those words, half apologetic that she might startle the girl and half childishly afraid that the girl would attack her on reflex like the way martial artist did in the movies.

She was about to try again when Shinobu… fell over and let loose a thundering snore.

"SHE FELL ASLEEP!?"

* * *

><p>-|Intermission|-<p>

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><p>How the fuck did Thalia ended up being the sucker to carry the blonde?! One was a satyr and the other was an adult! Thalia was practically the same age as Shinobu for fucks sake! The only reason she wasn't having more trouble with the ordeal was because Shinobu was rather short for her age, as a girl at least. Everybody knew that girls hit their growth spurt before guys after all. Maybe the midget was just a late bloomer?<p>

No! Contemplating how puberty affected each gender later. Be curious about blonde enigma later. Focus on angry thoughts now! Or at the very least focus that curiosity to more pertinent questions like how many volts does it take to kill someone and make it look like a heart attack? What if she forwent assassination and just went with blatant homicide? Would the gods object or applaud her if she sacrificed her companions to them? Does satyr count as mutton or cannibalism? Or was it half and half?

Or maybe she should instead focus her anger on her current human backpack. How the fuck does she fall sleep atop a moving train with all the noise, high winds, and the general sense of danger? Even more importantly, how does she _stay_ asleep after a punch to the arm, shouting at her face, shaking her up, and a shock enhanced punch to the same arm followed by enough shaking and swearing to wake the dead?

It did not help that Ivy deemed it the appropriate time to lecture her about force, work, momentum, balance, and simple machines that may be used as leverage. All the while attempting to hide the fact that his left arm was immobile and his left leg was starting to limp. Gleeson for the most part just hoped this would slow the party down enough that he can keep those two salads and two and a half tin cans down in his gullet. He was already at all fours – not that Thalia noticed – and looked ready to either barf or slam his head down the pavement.

"No! Stop that! Stop nibbling on my ear! I am NOT food! NO! I don't know who this Rayman is but you can go eat his face later!"

A limping old man with a crawling satyr followed by a screaming girl carrying another girl.

This was the scene a few Hunters of Artemis came across.

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><p>The next part will move the plot forward but that might also mean the chapter will be delayed. I don't know. Sorry. March is a busy month for me.<p>

Feel free to give your opinions on this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Naruto. Percy Jackson & the Olympians and Naruto are the property of Rick Riordan and Masashi Kishimoto respectively, and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

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><p>-|Hunters|-<p>

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><p>Considering that the Hunters of Artemis had a reputation as man-haters, it was unsurprising that they interpreted the situation as two males oppressing two females. Presumably knocking one out and forcing the other to carry her.<p>

Thankfully, Thalia was not in a foul enough mood to have Gleeson and Ivy killed under false pretence. Or perhaps she was simply more concerned with her pride as she claimed that there was no way she could have been subdued by anyone into manual labour. Not without a hell of a fight at least.

The hunters apparently approved of the sentiment. The hunters however were not merciful enough to leave the men unchecked and Thalia was still angry enough not to protest having both males gagged and hogtied as they headed to the hunters' temporary camp. Said camp was funnily enough inside President's Park.

It was times like these that Thalia wondered exactly what the Mist was showing the mortals they passed by as a handful of adolescent girls carried two bound males towards the park just south of the White House. Heck, the Mist must have been heavy around the area because she was pretty sure President's Park wasn't supposed to be this vast, with this amount of trees, with this wildlife. Then again, wasn't George Washington supposed to be a son of some goddess or what not? Or was that a different president?

"So, what are you doing in DC?" The question isn't directed at anyone in particular and Thalia isn't really all that interested in the answer to be honest. She's just making small talk to fill the silence. Maybe being with the loud blonde throughout the day had acclimated her to such. She glances at the blonde in a fireman's carry by the redhead in front of her and she can't help but wish for her to awaken soon.

Coincidentally, the bulky redhead is the one to give a response. "We are on the trail of a stag that has coincidentally eaten an assortment of magical plants. Its antlers as they are now can be used with a mixture we are preparing. Unfortunately, it has attracted the attention of many monsters. And we are in a bit of a time limit."

"So magic antlers that attracts monsters. I'm not sure I've heard of such a creature before." To be fair, while Thalia knew a lot about monsters, she was no expert. There are probably a lot of monsters she's never heard of. The conversation halts for a bit as the hunters had stopped their trek. Thalia looks around to realize that they were now in camp. Her eyes dart around between the torn silk tents, damaged silver jackets over blood stained white shirts, and hunters tending to their injured sisters.

The redhead continues as she hands Shinobu to another hunter, ignoring Thalia's concerned look. "The deer and its antlers are not magical. It ate magical plants but they don't really have much of an affect when consumed. They don't anything on their own, really. But by coincidence the assortment of plants it had grazed on over this season led to its antlers being mildly acidic. The reaction creates with air a scent that is akin to the one that monsters use to track demigods. We hope to use it in a mixture we have to make it more potent."

Now more interested in the state of the hunters and sensing akin to a boring chemistry lecture in coming, Thalia decided to change the subject. "So. Where's Zoe?" Asking about the second in command seemed like a good way to get a better idea at the state of their affairs. "I half expected her to have me meet her and for her to try her recruitment spiel on me by now." The last time she had encountered the hunters had ended in an argument with the moon goddess' lieutenant over Thalia not leaving Luke – and Grover, he was her friend too – to join the collection of maidens sworn to the goddess of the hunt and the wilderness.

The redhead frowns at her and Thalia wonders if is stepping too deep into their business. "I don't think joining us as of this moment would be wise. Artemis is not quite herself as of late. Not that we blame her. Her brother has been annoying her a lot. More than usual, I mean. So she has been irritable." The large girl's eyes look down and her face turn away. Away from Thalia and away from the depressing sight around her. The next words she speaks softly, though not quite a whisper. "It doesn't help that she's sick. It's nothing major. Just headaches, nausea, fatigue…"

She trails off and Thalia isn't so convinced that this is just a minor inconvenience. But a goddess, sick? It had never even occurred to that something like that could be possible. But thinking about it, didn't Zues once poison his father? And his grandfather once gave Gaea constipation. So an ailing Artemis was not quite a farfetched thought. "Will she be okay?" Will you guys be okay?

"The goddess will be fine." The hunter then stands straighter and speaks clearer. "But until then, we intend to help her as best we can. It is why we are hunting the deer in the first place. Its antlers will be the final ingredient to our cure. But the monsters make the hunt much more dangerous and while the most monsters have not bothered with the it as of yet, likely thinking there is a demigod nearby and prefer to search for that instead, there's no telling when one of them just might decide to take interest in the deer. But…"

"Let me guess. The hunt isn't going very well." The redhead winces at that and Thalia wonders if she's being too forward again. "I want to help. If I can. So I want know more so I can know how to do so." The redhead's eyes dart to hers, opens her mouth but closes it just as quickly. "Look. I'm butting in one way or another. You think the deer can cure Artemis then I'll get it for you. Just point me in the right direction. Or don't and I'll try tracking it myself anyway."

The hunter begins to speak but hesitates a second time. "Usually, I would say that we more capable for this hunt, even with the large amount of monster the deer attracts." Another pause. "Whatever has inflicted our goddess has dimmed her gift to us. Aside from immortality – more like eternal youth – she also gave use the skill of archery, greater strength and speed. Most of us have been hunters for a long time and are beyond the reach of mortal efforts. " But the gift was a really big difference nonetheless. "The gifts are not gone but they wax and wane. This does _not_ prevent us from taking this prey" Assertive. Though if you asked Thalia, defensive. "except for one factor. Those pesky birds. If you want to help, drive them away or kill them."

"Uhm. Birds?" The hunter was about to retort, perhaps even decide to refuse her help but Thalia holds her hand up and continues talking. "I'm guessing your plan involves sneaking through the monsters instead of fighting against them but that these birds give you away." Thalia gave herself a mental pat at the back on the girl's stunned face. Really, it wasn't that hard to figure out. The hunters were depowered so they couldn't take the direct approach. And the only way she could think that the birds could be a problem was if they made the sneaky approach less sneaky.

"I am Phoebe." At Thalia's look, obvious that she hadn't even thought of the subject of names until now, Phoebe grinned. "I thought it best if we knew each other's names before we made a deal." Her help was accepted. "We plan to have another attempt four days from now. By the pattern we've observed so far, that will be when our gifts will be the least hindered." Though obviously not anywhere near back to what it was before.

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><p>-|Birds|-<p>

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><p>Birds. Stymphalian Birds to be exact. Pigeon-like creatures that have Celestial Bronze that can tear through flesh. Dangerous, yes. Their killing potential wasn't the reason the hunters needed them gone. No. What they were was a bloody nuisance.<p>

First, they acted as a form of alarm for the other monsters in the area. They were nested so close to the deer that any attempt on the deer would alert them and cause them to swarm. The cacophony might scare the deer away before they could get their mark. And it would definitely attract all the other monsters in the vicinity.

Being swarmed with monsters is bad enough but that alone wasn't the issue. According to Pheobe, that would be difficult, very difficult, but doable. The second issue was how much they would slow down the retreating hunters. Hundreds of metal beaks and sharp feathers kind of had that effect.

The birds needed to go. Period. Unfortunately, killing hundreds of fast moving aerial targets very quickly was a tricky proposal even with the blessings of Artemis in full effect, never mind as they were currently, when it was at half efficacy at best, non-existent at worst, and sporadically going at any range between the two.

That's where Thalia came in. Apparently, the only reason Pheobe even considered accepting her help was thanks to her parentage. She was a daughter of Zeus, which meant lightning powers. They were hoping that she might be able to zap them out of the sky.

But of course, things could not be that easy for her. Turns out, the damned birds had spread out over multiple nests in the area. One zap was not gonna cut it. And unless she wanted to try out how quickly she can call down more than half a dozen blasts, more than double her limit, she was going to end up swarmed by the remaining birds and then by the monsters.

It took her half a day, but she eventually came up with an idea Instead of a series of multiple bolts, why not one mega bolt? But that was worse. It wouldn't cover a wide enough area and such a strike would be overkill for the few that it did hit. What about the opposite? Weaker lightning but in greater quantity. Nope. She can cast one after the other fast enough. Maybe she could fork and chain the mega bolt? Yeah. That might work.

It was a much more difficult thing to do than to say. Summoning so much voltage took a lot of time and energy, which meant she would only have one shot at this. During the day she'd ask one of the hunters to sneak her out the monster infested forest so she can practice. It took her all of the remaining days but she made it. She could do it well enough in two out of three shots. Three shots was all the attempts the she had been able to make as each drained her too much to make more.

So here she was attempting something she had only successfully done twice before and the stupid deer decided to move. Why the fuck couldn't it have decided to stay in the clearing it had the days prior? No. It just had to take a nap under a tree today and even chose the tallest tree in the area. Because that's exactly what she needed, have the target with antlers she didn't want to risk being charred to stay under a giant fucking lightning rod when she was about call a "mega bolt" down on the pesky birds.

She took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then counted back down to one. And back to ten again.

Okay. She needed a plan B. She needed to come up with plan B on the fly, under an hour, or the hunters would start their attempt with or without her contribution, likely risking death for the sake of the goddess they loved so much. Great. Okay. She could do this. She could do this.

Okay. Here's goes nothing!

A flash of lighting arcs cloud to cloud and a loud boom echoes over the forest. Thalia didn't have time to sigh in relief as she sees the bronze beaked menace go airborne, startled by the sudden clash of thunder. All her thoughts, all her being was focused on trying to conjure up her "mega forked lightning of doom" five times faster than all her previous attempts. She needed to fire it up before the birds decide to land or attack.

It was barely a second, but for Thalia, it was an eternity. Then. BANG!

Then darkness.

Then silence.

Then nothing.

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><p>Since the previous chapter was mostly a Shinobu chapter, and the one before that had a little of Thalia in it, I thought this might be a good chapter to post. It was originally going to be longer, giving Thalia a bit of a training montage but I don't really have the time this month for something so lengthy.<p>

Tell me guys what you think of it. Feel free to point out any flaws.


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